openFMD is supported by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the European Commission for the control of Foot-and- Mouth Disease (EuFMD). Future plans for openFMD include the Nextstrain port for FMD, which will provide interactive tools to explore the evolution of each FMDV serotype in space and time. Another planned feature is the inclusion of vaccine matching data in FMDwatch, which will help users understand antigenic evolution of FMDV strains. The webinar concluded with a Q&A session, where attendees had the opportunity to seek further clarification on various aspects of openFMD. Dr. Di Nardo addressed questions about the continual updating of the database, and the priorities for continued development of openFMD in the future. Dr. Di Nardo assured attendees that the database is updated in real-time every time new sequence data are either generated through the WOAH/FAO FMD Laboratory Network or published in GenBank, ensuring its relevance and accuracy. He also clarified that while the private section of the database requires registration, there is currently no mechanism for users to submit their own sequences. However, this feature is planned to be developed and implemented during the next year. Towards the end of the session, Dr. Di Nardo was asked about the possibility of proposing a new tool to include in the platform. He welcomed this idea and encouraged users to contact him with any suggestions, comments, or bug reports to the email address set up for this specific use (info@openfmd. org). The webinar concluded with the host expressing excitement about using the new platform and thanking Dr. Di Nardo for his time and efforts. openFMD, with its comprehensive suite of tools and commitment to continual improvement, is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing our understanding and control of FMD. As the platform continues to evolve, it will further provide additional features and new tools to ensure all aspects of FMD epidemiology and control will be targeted. In addition to the exceptional work of the FAO World Reference Laboratory for FMD (WRLFMD) to provide the scientific community involved in the fight against FMD with epidemiology data and soon vaccine matching, the VPH technical team at Boehringer Ingelheim reminds you that we also provide our customers with summaries of epidemiology data available on the WRLFMD website (www.wrlfmd.org).
Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Alliance
Link to the recorded webinar GFRA Seminar Series with Dr. Antonello Di Nardo.
The FMDwatch tools is indeed currently under final staging to production into openFMD and randomly accessible based on the latest updates. We also have vaccine matching reports available, based on tests conducted at WRLFMD as well as in our two laboratories in Pirbright (UK) and Lelystad (The Netherlands).
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